'Antourage' UCI's non-so-silent weapon

Feb. 16, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Tyler Kenney, 21, leads members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. Antourage is the UC Irvine student spirit group which faithfully cheers on the UC Irvine men's basketball team. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Members of he UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, cheer for their team during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. Antourage, whose name is a spin-off of the school's nickname, KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Members of he UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, make the Anteater sign with their hands during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Sam Fraser, 20, left, and Mathew Gima, 21, cheer with the rest of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, dance during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Kian Khoddam, 23, cheers with other members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Tan Nguyen, 22, leads members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, through a cheer during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, watch themselves on the scoreboard screen during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, cheer for their team during a basketball game at the Bren Events Center. The Princeton Review recently named UCI among the "Best Value Colleges" for 2013. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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The UC Irvine band and cheerleaders taunt UC Santa Barbara's Sam Beeler, far left, as he shoots a free throw during a recent basketball game at UC Irvine. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Peter the Anteater makes an appearance during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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UC Irvine cheerleaders dance during a recent basketball game against UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

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Kaity Tallarico, 20, left, and Chloe Strasser, 21, cheer with other members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

Tyler Kenney, 21, leads members of the UC Irvine student cheering section, known as Antourage, during a recent basketball game between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center. Antourage is the UC Irvine student spirit group which faithfully cheers on the UC Irvine men's basketball team. KENT TREPTOW, FOR THE REGISTER

UC Irvine's men's basketball team has been tough to beat at home this year.

The support of the team's spirit group, the 'Antourage,' has helped give the Anteaters a home-court advantage in the 5,000-seat on-campus Bren Center.

The basketball team has won nine out of 10 home games, and the Anteaters are a perfect 6-0 in Big West Conference games at home. On the road the Anteaters are 4-12.

The coaches and players appreciate the support.

"The students have really taken an interest in generating energy for us and that's important," said Coach Russell Turner. "There couldn't be anything more important to a college basketball team than support like that in your home arena."

Students in the Antourage, led by UCI senior Tyler Kenney, come out to the games and yell for the Anteaters while trying to distract the opposing team. Down the stretch, it can make a difference when the hometown fans try to distract a free-throw shooter by jumping up and down and screaming in a close game. Kenney and some of his friends are the ones who lead the cheers in front of the group.

"Our mantra has been fan engagement," said Robby Ray, assistant athletic director, marketing and corporate relations. "We want them cheering in a positive way, and they do a great job. Tyler and his group have developed a strong support group."

UCI has had as many as 1,000 spirited student rooters for some of the games. Many of them are dressed in Antourage T-shirts which they earn by attending three games, Ray said.

As part of their ASB fees, the students get in free to conference home games with an ASB card.

The group used to be called the CIA – Completely Insane Anteaters.

But the name was changed to Antourage a couple of years ago, playing off the school's mascot and the HBO television show, the Entourage.

President of Antourage Tyler Kenney

Tyler Kenney, a senior at UC Irvine, is the president of the UCI Antourage, which provides school spirit for the basketball teams.

Q. What got you involved in the Antourage?

A. Last year and the year before I was the mascot. I’ve come out to sports events all my four years. I have plenty of friends who are in athletics, so they suggested that I get more involved with the athletic department, and this is where they decided was best for me.

Q. What is the group trying to do?

A. We’re trying to make a change here at UCI; we’re trying to instill some spirit. It’s been rough going, but we’ve obviously made a dent with the backing of ASUCI (Associated Students of UC Irvine) and athletics, as well as student affairs. We’re hoping to get more and more support from the faculty at Irvine by making some class announcements. We’re trying to get the faculty to encourage their students to come out to games and be that kind of big, So Cal school that we want to be. We are the only UC school in Orange County, and we want to represent Orange County well.

Q. How do you get students involved?

A. Every time new faces comes through, we try to sign them up and try to get them to games with an earn your stripes kind of program where they bring a card and have it stamped every game. If you get three stamps, you get a T-shirt, and as you come to more and more games, you accrue more and more rewards.

Q. Do you go to other sporting events?

A. We’ve started to do some volleyball games. We’ve gotten a ton of support from the athletes. They love it, and they’ve been wearing the T-shirts.

Q. Talk about your special cheers.

A. We have the, “I believe that we will win,” cheer, we have “Rip ‘em ‘Eaters.” We will yell into the crowd, “Rip ‘em” and they will respond with “Eaters.” With each opponent, we try to mess them up a little, and with each opponent we try to be a little more creative. When the announcer was calling out the starting lineup for the opposing team we had a few cheers such as “can’t dribble, can’t shoot (for certain players.”

It’s always nice when we have a big dunk or Will Davis II has a big dunk, and we just go crazy.

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